The present invention is generally directed to a radiant panel and, more specifically, to a radiant panel that can be used for heating and/or cooling a building.
A number of U.S. patents disclose radiant panels that may be implemented within a building. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,710 discloses a radiant panel that includes an extruded aluminum plate member that has a saddle adapted to receive and retain a copper tube having fluid circulating therein. The extruded plate members have channels on each side of the saddle to receive a fastener and connect the plates to a supporting grid structure in a room.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,093 discloses a solar panel that is made of different interior and exterior materials to utilize the structural and heat absorbing properties of the exterior material and a corrosion resistant property of the interior material. The exterior material is formed by extrusion to have diametrically extending fins, one of which terminates in a socket so that a plurality of such panels can be readily assembled in edge-to-edge relation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,703 discloses a heat exchanger that takes the form of a heat radiating absorbing panel that includes an aluminum panel having a copper tube attached thereto in a heat exchange relationship. The panel has at least one pair of parallel spaced retainer legs, which have angularly inwardly extending flanges. A copper tube of circular cross-section is laid into the channel formed by the retainer legs and then is squashed by a die into a generally oval cross-section so as to be confined within the retainer legs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,103 discloses a wood veneer radiant heating panel that incorporates an internal layer of semiconductive carbonaceous pyropolymer, consisting of carbon and hydrogen on a high surface area refractory inorganic oxide support, to provide electrical resistance radiant heating. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,776,538; 3,703,758; 3,698,475; and 3,514,834 disclose a method and apparatus for securing an elongated member, e.g., a metallic tubing, to a flat sheet of metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,368 discloses a hydronic heating system that includes a thermally conductive plate mounted in a floor or wall that includes tubing that is maintained in relationship with a subfloor by heat transfer plates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,649 discloses a false ceiling for buildings that is designed to absorb acoustic waves and has perforated plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,407 discloses a plurality of panels that include a central longitudinal groove for receiving a pipe. U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,962 discloses a panel and a tube, which is attached to a plate, with a variety of differently formed guides and/or guide webs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,723 discloses a ceiling element for a heating and cooling ceiling that has a guide for holding a conduit, through which a heat transfer medium flows, and a contact surface for making contact with the ceiling panel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,820 discloses a cooling ceiling pipe support apparatus for air conditioning a room with a system of cooling pipes. The apparatus includes a hole in the element connected to the ceiling of the building and a plurality of connecting elements, which accommodates a respectively assigned region of one of heating cooling pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,724 discloses a cooling system, which can be fastened to a ceiling with a suspension provided beneath the ceiling, disposed above a space to be cooled and with cooling pipes between the ceiling and the suspension. The space to be cooled and the space between the ceiling and the suspension are connected through air current paths.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,908 discloses a heating and cooling arrangement that is suspended from a room ceiling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,951 discloses a radiant panel, which has an external panel shell, which can be used as a passive panel, and an extruded aluminum radiator panel resting in the shell, with an outward side in contact with the shell and an inward side in contact with a copper tube, which acts as a fluid conduit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,406 discloses a solar energy collector that includes a thin sheet of copper laminated to a layer of insulating foam, which in turn is laminated to a backing plate of pressed wood. A soft copper tube is pressed against a laminated assembly and the copper tube and the sheet are bonded together to produce a collector panel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,059 discloses an aluminum clad radiator core with a brazing alloy joining a tube to the core.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,690 discloses a cooling element that is supported by a floor stand that is readily detachable from a floor such that the cooling element is capable of being relocated to different locations. U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,251 discloses a cooling and heating system for a building. U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,354 discloses a cooling element that is fitted into a ceiling region. U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,980 discloses a heating element that includes a radiant metal plate that is in contact with a link of tubing that conducts water. U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,377 also discloses a radiant floor for a wall hydronic heating system that includes a tube attached to a radiant plate.
While the above-described cooling/heating panels/systems function, depending upon the application, the above-described panels can be quite expensive and difficult to implement in numerous applications as the weight of a given panel may be relatively heavy in order to meet the rigidity requirements of certain applications. What is needed is a radiant panel that is relatively inexpensive, lightweight and that maintains rigidity in a number of different applications, such as wall, ceiling and floor panels.